Kalamazoo, Mich., offers college scholarships to students graduating from its public schools. Mason City, Iowa, has high school students mentoring preschoolers. Santa Clarita, Calif., runs a campaign to boost awareness of alcohol-related traffic crashes. These cities have been named among "The 100 Best Communities for Young People" by America's Promise Alliance, a children's advocacy group founded a decade ago. Former secretary of State Colin Powell was its first chairman. More than 750 communities from all 50 states competed for the 2007 honors announced today. "We are recognizing and encouraging people who are doing good things," says the group's chairwoman, Alma Powell, Colin Powell's wife. She says government cannot solve every problem, and citizens can help. "We need to take responsibility." Powell says she has seen a "proliferation" of youth service organizations in the past decade, which she attributes to a growing recognition of the problems facing kids. ... http://www.usatoday.com

A suicide car bomber struck a mostly Shiite neighborhood Thursday in central Baghdad, killing 26 people, hours after the prime minister promised the coming U.S.-Iraq security sweep in the capital would pursue militants wherever they were hiding. The blast occurred shortly after two rockets slammed into the heavily fortified Green Zone. Two hours later, a second huge explosion rocked the area. Police said they had blown up a second car bomb that had been disabled before its second suicide bomber could detonate it. A massive plume of black smoke rose into the air on the east bank of the Tigris River and heavy gunfire rang out in the aftermath of the explosions. The suicide bomber struck in the central neighborhood of Karradah, the second to hit the area in three days. At least three policemen were among the 26 dead from the latest bombing and 54 people were wounded, police and hospital officials...http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-01-25-militants_x.htm?csp=34

Republic of Georgia authorities, aided by the CIA, set up a sting operation last summer that led to the arrest of a Russian man who tried to sell a small amount of nuclear-bomb grade uranium in a plastic bag in his jacket pocket, U.S. and Georgian officials said.The operation, which neither government has publicized, represents one of the most serious cases of smuggling of nuclear material in recent years, according to analysts and officials.The arrest underscored concerns about the possibility of terrorists acquiring nuclear bomb-making material on the black market, although there was no suggestion that this particular case was terrorist-related."Given the serious consequences of the detonation of an improvised nuclear explosive device, even small numbers of incidents involving HEU (highly enriched uranium) or plutonium are of very high concern," said Melissa Fleming of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency....http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/24/uranium.sting.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us

China's environmental watchdog has handed the maximum possible fine to a PetroChina subsidiary for a toxic river spill which cut off water to millions. Jilin Petrochemical was ordered to pay 1m yuan ($125,000, £64,000) for its pollution of the Songhua River in 2005, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. A blast at its chemical plant in Jilin province discharged about 100 tonnes of the carcinogen benzene into the river. The city of Harbin lost water supplies for five days, and Russia was also hit. China's State Environmental Protection Agency found the company guilty of three counts of breaking environmental law. Last year China said it had given "administrative demerits" to a provincial official and several PetroChina executives. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6299085.stm

Student battles killed at least two in Lebanon on Thursday, as international donors promised $7.6 billion some hope will help the U.S.-backed government survive a growing challenge from the Hezbollah-led opposition.At least two opposition students were shot dead and 35 were injured, some by gunfire, at Beirut's Arab University, security sources said. The opposition-run NBN television station put the death toll at four, including two students. It was not immediately clear who opened fired but NBN and Al-Manar television, run by the opposition's Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah movement, blamed the shootings on pro-government gunmen loyal to Sunni leader Saad al-Hariri. Soldiers fired into the air to try to disperse the crowds and were later deployed in large numbers in an effort to control the clashes. Thick smoke rose from the area, where rioters had set cars and tires ablaze. ...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2822806

If dog-loving lawmakers prevail, Fido could soon be sidling up to bar stools around Washington state under a measure that would allow well-behaved, leashed canines to join their human companions as they down their favorite microbrews. The measure was introduced by Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, who got the idea at the Fish Tale Brewpub, formerly known as the Fish Bowl, a downtown Olympia staple where he's a regular. "I was sitting at the Fish Bowl looking at all the dogs outside sitting in the cold and the rain, while all the owners were warm inside," said Jacobsen, who doesn't own a dog. "There's all sorts of places you can bring animals now. You can take dogs into hotels. My God, some people are carrying dogs in their purses. Why can't we have them in the bars?" Jacobsen said. The measure has a public hearing before the Senate Labor, Commerce, Research & Development Committee on Tuesday, though there's no word yet on whether dogs will be allowed....http://www.theolympian.com/101/story/62086.html